Emma Thompson quits film after movie executive accused of harassment brought on board

EMMA Thompson revealed yesterday she pulled out of animated film Luck after former Pixar boss John Lasseter was hired by its production company.

The actress, 59, blasted the company from bringing him on board after allegations of inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment were made against the animator, 62, in 2017.

PA:Press Association

In a letter published by the LA Times, Emma said hiring ‘someone with Mr Lasseter’s pattern of misconduct given the present ­climate’ was ‘very odd’[/caption]

In an open letter published by the LA Times on Tuesday, Emma expressed her “discomfort” over Lasseter’s hiring by production company Skydance.

She acknowledged the situation was “complicated” but hit out at bosses and said they should be expected to “step up to the plate.”

She wrote: “It feels very odd to me that you and your company would consider hiring someone with Mr. Lasseter’s pattern of misconduct given the present climate in which people with the kind of power that you have can reasonably be expected to step up to the plate.”

The Love Actually star added that while some people think he should be given a second chance, it was important to acknowledge that “he is presumably being paid millions of dollars to receive that second chance”.

AP:Associated Press

Lasseter stepped down from Pixar after ­several women accused him of inappropriate behaviour and sexual harassment[/caption]

Later in the letter she added that employees who didn’t want to give him a second didn’t have a choice in the matter unless they wanted to lose their jobs.

Emma also admitted that she regretted leaving the project when she loved director Alessandro Carloni, but said: “I can only do what feels right during these difficult times of transition and collective consciousness raising”.

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She ended the letter by saying: “I am also aware that if people who have spoken out — like me — do not take this sort of a stand then things are very unlikely to change at anything like the pace required to protect my daughter’s generation.”

Lasseter had taken a year’s break from the industry after he stepped down from his job at Pixar after multiple women came forward with accounts of inappropriate and harassing behaviour by him.

Skydance Media Chief Executive David Ellison said: “John has acknowledged and apologized for his mistakes and, during the past year away from the workplace, has endeavored to address and reform them.”

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